Violence Prevention Program Mission and Vision

Our Mission

The mission of the Violence Prevention Program (VPP) is to prevent violent personal injury among Baltimore City's most at-risk populations through research into the root causes of violence and the development of evidence-based programs targeting the root causes of violence.

The VPP draws upon the resources and talent of the School of Medicine Departments of Surgery and Epidemiology & Public Health to attend to the patient population and offer services through the STC. VPP seeks to serve as a national model in bridging the community, criminal justice and medical systems and in the development and dissemination of proven, effective interventions.

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; Only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; Only love can do that...And I say to you, I have decided to stick to love. For I know that love is ultimately the only answer to mankind's problems." -- Martin Luther King

Our Vision

The Violence Prevention Program will serve as a national cost-effective model of a hospital-based intervention program that can be replicated throughout the country to reduce violence and its ripple effects. This will set the mood of peace, out of which a system of peace can be built and Dr. King's vision of "The Beloved Community" can exist.